'Forza Horizon 4' Now Has A Battle Royale Mode - No, Seriously

The key difference here of course, is that most of the newly-announced battle royale games and modes are based around shooters. Forza Horizon 4 is... well, it's a racing game first and foremost. How then, you might ask, is it supposed to work? Check out the trailer below to get an idea.

In The Eliminator mode (cool name), up to 72 players compete in a furious clash of cars. You'll start the match with a low-level vehicle, and will be able to earn the chance to upgrade and pick up better, faster cars by eliminating other players in head-to-head races.

"Arena walls contract throughout the game," explains the YouTube trailer description. "Forcing players closer together until a final white-knuckle race among the survivors determines the winner."

As you race around the battle royale map, you'll be able to come across "rare car drops" that grant access to even better vehicles. To challenge another player to a race and eliminate them from the game, you simply need to track them down, aim your camera at the car you want to challenge, and honk your horn.

Doing so initiates an instant head-to-head race to a set spot on the map. Brilliantly, other players who aren't involved in the race will be able to mess with you and/or your opponent by getting in your way. As the map shrinks to its smallest point, a final finish line will appear on the map that the last surviving players will have to dash for. The first one to it wins... obviously.

Matches of The Eliminator are expected to be fairly quick, with a full game lasting around 15 minutes. There are also 10 different levels of car to progress to as you play through each round and take out opponents.

The Eliminator is an entirely free mode for Forza Horizon 4, and is available to check out right now. Amazingly, this isn't actually the first battle royale game/mode to indulge in vehicular mayhem. H1Z1 previously announced it's own Auto Royale earlier this year. There's also Fractured Lands, and Notmycar, both of which are currently in Early Access.

Forza Horizon 4 getting in on the fun isn't quite as original as I'd previously thought, then. That doesn't mean it can't still be a blast though. I haven't had a chance to check it out myself, but I'm certainly gonna make a point to give it a go this weekend.